Lake Time

We spent a few days before Father’s Day at a lakeside condo near Branson, Missouri. Our oldest grand daughter, her husband and their newly adopted son (our first great-grandchild) were able to join us for a day at the lake and in the pool. It was a special day for us.

There is a special story behind X-man coming into the family and all I can say is, “It was a God thing.” He is five years old and a very happy, easy going, full of energy…okay, he’s all boy! But that’s not the end of the story. Our grand daughter has been trying to get pregnant for a several years and there have been disappointments and challenges along the way, including our grand son-in-law being diagnosed with testicular cancer! Well, here is her story in her own words.

For those that have been following our story for the last 3-4 years or so I’ve been so eager to share this part of our story…

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2017, and in 2022 we found traces of PCOS in my right ovary. I was told early that I would likely need intervention to become pregnant. After a couple of surgeries and minor procedures, we were told we would have to endure fertility treatments, likely IUI or IVF.

In 2021, Blake was diagnosed with testicular cancer. We were immediately moved to a fertility specialist and we were so anxious for the future of our family. Infertility and fear controlled a lot of our months to come. Thank goodness we found our doctor.

In 2022, we experienced 5 failed fertility treatments and 1 suspended IUI treatment. In March of 2023, we received news that we were experiencing a heartbreaking loss after we had just shared our news with family and friends. We were devastated. I was ready to be done with fertility for awhile and take a break. Grief was and sometimes still can be suffocating. After a loss, you feel so alone and for me, I had so much anger.

But God. He paved a way for us through that season of life. In late April, we were floored when we found out we were expecting, again. We conceived with no fertility drugs, no bi-weekly scans, and no intervention whatsoever. The Lord has made His presence known daily through this sweet baby and we can’t wait to experience this season of life together, with Xavier.

Please continue to pray for us on this journey. There are so many unknowns and we are being monitored closely. But we know we serve a BIG God.

Words cannot express the joy that my wife, myself and the whole family is experiencing. YES!!! It is a God thing! It is a glorious prayer answering God thing. There is no other way to say it, “Thank you God for all that you do.” What a glorious Father’s day week-end we had.

Before we move on the Monday’s Music Moves Me, I would like to say a few final words regarding Father’s Day. Being a father is the most important job in the world along side being a mother. In other words, parenting is the most important endeavor that any couple can undertake. Children are like any living thing in that they survive and even flourish under certain conditions. The ideal growing conditions for human children are found in God’s Word. The ideal family unit consists of a loving mother and father working together, under the instruction of God’s Word to raise children to be responsible adults. Again I say, the Bible is life’s instruction book. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Where are you going to find better advice than from the Creator of life. The epistle further states that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The purpose of Scripture is for the man of God that he may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Solomon, the richest and wisest man who ever lived and wrote Proverbs, was inspired to write to fathers, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” It is the parents responsibility to raise responsible children, not nanny, preschool, public or private school, and certainly not government agencies. God gives us a special gift in the life of a child and we should care for that life with our very lives. A couple of songs come to mind.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

This week the theme at 4M is The Beatles. We are to select songs by Beatles as a group or the members after Beatles. I was a teen when the Beatles hit the shores of America and the “British Invasion” was on! Like many groups, the Fab Four started as a boy band with song like, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You”. The group matured and so did their fans, by the time the group broke up The Beatles were the biggest band in the history of Rock and Roll. Their list of No.1 songs is legendary. I have to admit that I was not a Beatles fan in the beginning. My tastes leaned more toward The Rolling Stones and The Animals, The Beach Boys, Temptations and Four Tops. Like many converts, the Rubber Soul album was the release that turned me on to The Beatles. Here are a few of my favorite tunes. Have a blessed week..

Aww…some Monday

Colors of the Farmers Market

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Sunday, June 11 was National Children’s Day. The challenge this week at 4M, pick songs about children or by artists under 18. Children are a special blessing from God. Parents have a responsibility to provide for, protect, and give their children the proper instructions in life that will produce responsible adults. The honest truth is that this mission is best accomplished when there is a loving father and mother in the home that will use the instruction book for life (the Bible) as their resource for growing a happy and healthy family unit. Have a blessed week.

That was a fun tribute to the energy and passion of youth, but as the father of a daughter and grandfather to three grand daughters, I can tell you there is a reason they call them “Daddy’s Little Girls”. They will steal your heart, break your heart and heal your heart. Little girls are a special gift and responsibility to fathers. Scripture teaches us to train our children in the way that they should go. Fathers are to provide for the needs of their family and protect their family from harm. That harm can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual and it is Dad’s job to keep harm from the doorstep of his children. It is an impossible task because life can throw more arrows at us than we can deter, but a faith in the Giver of life can provide a joy that passes the understanding of most people and get us through the days when harm seems to be around every corner. The joy that we find in Christ must be passed on to our children. We find that true joy rests in faith in Christ. This secular world will tell us that peace, happiness, and joy can only be found in money. Our world is driven by money because money buys power, toys, and everything that we desire, but money cannot buy joy and happiness. Some of the most miserable and unhappy people I have met are people with a lot of money. Money may buy happiness for a few moments, days, or weeks but at the end of the day joy has escaped and the pursuit of it continues. For the Christ follower, everything is temporary this side of heaven and the true joy comes from the One who created us, has a plan for our lives, and desires to give us eternal joy. On this earth my family gives me a great deal of joy, but eternal joy belongs to me through the Creator. Have a blessed week.

Daughter and two grand daughters

Wife & Daughter

Aww…some Monday

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Some gave the last full measure of devotion.

Like a lot of veterans, as I grow older I grow a little fonder of my military service. It’s not that I enjoyed my time in the military so much as I appreciate how it shaped my life and how much respect I have those who serve. I was drafted into the Army in 1966, during the height of the Vietnam war. After basic training at Ft. Bliss, TX and radio school at Ft. Huachuca, AZ and Ft. Gordon, GA I was deployed to Southeast Asia. When I came home from Vietnam, in May 1968, I was honorably discharged and sent home to resume my civilian life.

I was one of the fortunate ones. I didn’t see that much combat. I didn’t come home with PTSD or any other mental disorder. I didn’t face much in the way of protests and anti-war sentiment from people I came in contact with. Maybe it’s because I came home to Oklahoma and it was not a hotbed of political unrest. I did come home more mature but maybe not more focused on my calling in life. That didn’t occur until I met my wife.

The important thing is, I did come home. The opening photo is from the traveling exhibit of the Vietnam memorial wall. It contains the names of 58,281 service personnel who did not come home alive. They gave their last full measure of devotion to a cause that they may or may not have supported or understood. They sacrificed their future in the name of freedom that they would not enjoy. A soldier does not pick the adversary, the location nor the battle in which he/she is engaged. The soldier answers the call of his/her government and serves wherever needed. This country produces the finest fighting force in world and it is populated by the best young men and women on the planet. Thank you to the families of my 58,281 brothers and sisters in arms that laid down their lives in Southeast Aisa. Welcome home to those who, like me, were fortunate enough to enjoy life after service. Ameria, you’re welcome.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

The theme this week is Memorial Day songs remembering those in general or a specific person who served, pick songs you think that person might have enjoyed or songs that make you think of a your fallen hero. I give you popular songs when my brothers-in-arms served.

Ozark Dogwoods